NO-SHOWS IN MAGISTRATE COURT HAVE INCREASED FROM 18 TO 48 PERCENT SINCE RULING
Staff Reports

T

he life of bail bondsmen in Gallup and
other pa r ts of the
state has gotten a lot
harder since a New Mexico
Supreme Court decision last
year made it easier for people
who were arrested and were
facing charges to get out on
their own recognizance.
Ger a ld Ma d r id, a ba i l
bondsman who operates out of
Albuquerque and has a branch
office in Gallup, said last week
that ever since that decision
came down, the number of
cases where judges released
someone on their own recognizance instead of placing them
on bond has sharply increased
to the point where it is difficult
for a bail company to survive.
Madrid said he has had
t o r ely on i ncome f rom
other businesses to keep his

company afloat.
But the problem is even
more serious, he said, because
it has resulted in a shar p
increase in the number of people who have failed to show up
for hearings, forcing judges to
issue more bench warrants.
Before the Supreme Court
decision, Madrid said, the
number of no-shows in magistrate court cases was about
18 percent. Since then, it has
increased to 48 percent.
Gallup, like other cities in
the state, has seen more bench
warrants being issued, according to local court records.
“The situation now is that
most people who are arrested
and then released on their own
recognizance see no consequences if they don’t show up
for a hearing,” Madrid said.
This has become a public
safety concern in the past year,
Madrid said, as people who

Duane Lee Chapman, better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, said states throughout the country are making it easier for people to get
out of jail on their own recognizance. Photo Credit: Courtesy A&E Networks

The McKinley County Courthouse. Bondsmen say that a decision made by the New Mexico Supreme Court has made their job more difficult,
and put public safety in jeopardy. Photo Credit: gallupARTS.org

7
4

have committed domestic violence and similar crimes are
released back on the streets
without having to worry about
losing their bail money if they
are rearrested.
The bond system works,
he said, because if someone
doesn’t show up for a hearing
and has been placed on a bond
that was arranged through a
bail bondsman company, the
company joins in the effort to
track that person down.
Duane Chapman, better
known as Dog the Bounty
Hunter because of his popular
television show by that name,
said that the problem isn’t
only found in New Mexico.
Many states throughout the
country are making it easier
for people to get out of jail on

their own recognizance. ”Many
judges are now beginning to
see the light,” Chapman said.
“The people they are letting
out without bond are not boy
scouts.”
Madrid said that judges
in the state are beginning to
be aware of the high number
of no-shows for court hearings and have been requiring
ones to be posted on more
cases.
On the day he was interviewed, Madrid said he had
three cases where he provided
bond money to get someone
released from jail, and he said
he hoped this may be an indication that things are getting
back to the way it was before
the Supreme Court issued its
decision.

WHAT’S INSIDE …

DWI KILLER GUILTY
Man gets 15 years for
killing two

10 12 15 16
PAWN SHOP THIEF
Suspect in gun
nabbing dies

Friday March 9, 2018 • Gallup Sun

KIDS LEARN WATER
SKILLS
Water conservation
event gets ideas
flowing

BASEBALL STAR
NEW TEACHER OF
THE MONTH
Following in mom’s
footsteps

MATH IS FUN
Kids take home
games to sharpen
skills

BED BUGS NOT INCLUDED!
Richard F. Kontz,

Executive Director,
Gallup Housing Authority

Remember the cute little saying: “Sleep tight don’t let the bed bugs bite”. Well, it isn’t so cute anymore
when the little creatures invade your house. Occasionally, in Public Housing we have that problem.
PLEASE don’t go into a panic. Bed bugs exist wherever humans and beds exist. The key to keeping them
out is PREVENTION.

Some facts about BED BUGS: Bedbugs are parasitic bugs [basically a tick] who “highly” prefer to

feed on human blood. They typically hide in mattresses, bed frames, bedding, furniture, carpets, baseboards and bedroom clutter. They are most commonly found in seams of mattresses or inside box springs.
They hide by day and come out at night.

How Do they get into your House? When we at Gallup Housing Authority prepare a unit for leas-

ing we make sure there are none in the dwelling. So, when you rent from us “Bedbugs are not included”.
Assuming they are not there to begin with how do they get there? They “hitch hike” into the premises.
When a family moves in they may come in with them. Or, we have seen where a family doesn’t have much
furniture when they move in and they go to the local used furniture stores and buy couches, beds, mattresses and low and behold a few weeks later they are calling us complaining about Bedbugs. We had one
elderly who got them and we treated her unit then a month or so later she had them again. So, when
questioned she had relatives from the reservation come and stay a few days. Then a couple of months
later she had them again. Now she wanted to move to another unit. We said no – because if you do you
are just going to take them with you to another unit. Once, again visiting relatives brought them in. By
the way we told her if she gets them again we will charge you $500 to $600 for the treatment because we
can’t keep letting her or her guests bring them in. Believe me she was not a happy Camper.

The two main things we recommend to people is: [1] Wash your bedding and clothing on a
regular basis [weekly] with hot water. Heat kills them. [2] Watch where you buy your bedding, mattresses,
bed frames, furniture, etc. Unfortunately used products seem to be one main carrier of bedbugs locally.
Comments are welcome.

OYOTE CANYON,
N. M . — Theresa
Becenti-Aguila r
wants to become a
member of the New Mexico
Public Regulation Commission,
which, if successful, would
make it the second time around
for the Coyote Canyon native.
Becenti-Aguilar made the
announcement to run last
month.
“I believe that I can serve
the people and I have proven
that I am capable of serving the
people,” Becenti-Aguilar said.
“I am again ready to start the

Becenti-Aguilar
PRC job.”
Becenti-Aguilar grew up in
Coyote Canyon, on the Navajo
Nation Indian Reservation,
without electricity or running

water, and was appointed to
PRC in July 2010 by then Gov.
Bill Richardson. She served out
the remainder of a term that
was started by Carol Sloan.
She outright won the PRC
election the following year and
ended up making history as the
first PRC panel that included
three women in the history of
the agency.
As far as platform, BecentiAguilar said she’d like to concentrate on improving wireless
telephone line service in places
like Bread Springs, N.M. She
said she doesn’t believe District
4 is in “a right sense of ethics.”
“I feel that there is more
structure needed with respect

L BUQU E RQU E –
Randy Payton, 35,
an enrolled member
of the Navajo Nation
who resides in Churchrock,

6

N.M., was sentenced March 8
in federal court in Albuquerque
to 137 months in prison for
his voluntary manslaughter
conviction. Payton will be on
supervised release for three
years after completing his

Friday March 9, 2018 • Gallup Sun

prison sentence.
Payton was arrested on Oct.
19, 2016, on a criminal complaint
charging him with killing a

CHURCHROCK
| SEE PAGE 10

to what the District 4 commissioner should be doing,”
Becenti-Aguilar said.
The election is June 5.
Becenti-Aguilar is a Democrat
and the District 4 seat is currently occupied by Lynda
Lovejoy of Crownpoint.
L o v e j o y i s a fo r m e r
member of the New Mexico
House of Representatives
(Democrat) and first attained
a PRC seat 11 years ago with
former state rep Sandra Jeff
as a staff assistant. BecentiAguilar has also served as a
state Senate floor worker at the
state legislature a few years ago.
Becenti-Aguilar ran for a
Navajo Nation Council Delegate

14 seat two years ago, losing
to Steven Begay of Naschitti.
She filed a grievance after the
contest, alleging Begay wasn’t
eligible to run and eventually
won the case.
The District 4 PRC includes
McKinley, Cibola, San Juan,
Bernalillo, Rio Arriba, Socorro,
Sandoval and Santa Fe counties. PRC commissioners earn
an annual salary of $90,000.

Gallup Sun Publishing, LLC
Publisher/Editor
Babette Herrmann
Editorial Assistant
Abigail Rowe
Correspondents
Rick Abasta
Boderra Joe
Deswood Tome
Calendar Editor
Lealia Nelson
Photography
Cayla Nimmo
Knifewing Segura
Design
David Tsigelman
On the Cover: A fan holds
up a sign in support of a
Tse Yi’ Gai Lady Warriors
player during their state
championship game against
Fort Sumner at Bernalillo
High School March 6. Warriors
came up short, 59-48. Photo
by R. Hudgeons
The Gallup Sun, published Fridays, is not responsible or liable for any claims or offerings,
nor responsible for availability
of products advertised. All
rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part without
permission is prohibited. The
Gallup Sun distributes newspapers in McKinley, Cibola and
Apache counties.
Office: 102 S. Second St.,
Gallup, NM 87301
The Gallup Sun, pending USPS
number 1, is mailed weekly.
Application to mail at periodical rates is pending in Gallup
NM. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gallup Sun,
PO Box 1212, Gallup, NM.
Mailing Address:
PO Box 1212
Gallup, NM 87305
www.gallupsun.com
Phone: (505) 722-8994
Fax: (505) 212-0391
gallupsun@gmail.com
Letter to the editor/guest
column ACCEPTED BY EMAIL
ONLY. State full name and
city/town. No pen names. ID
required. All submissions
subjected to editor’s approval.
Guest columnists, email Sun
for submission requirements.

n M ay 1, 2 017, a
tragic rollover
cra sh happened
on NM State Road
118 i n Ga l lup. T wo adu lt s
were killed and three children were seriously injured.
T he d r iver of t he veh icle,
Elijah K ing, was suspected
of being dr unk at the time
of t he cra sh. K i ng wa s
detained at the scene; however, he cl a i med a not her
man was driv ing.
New Mexico State
Pol ice of f icer s i n Ga l lup
responded a nd conducted
an extensive investigation.
T hei r ef for t s produced
solid evidence showing that
K ing wa s dr iv ing dr unk at
the time of the crash. This
ev idence later led to K ing’s
conv iction.
I m me d i a t ely a f t er t he
crash, NMSP officers
obt a i ned a blood d raw
from K ing, took pictures of
his injuries, obtained some
i ncr i m i n at i ng st at ement s

NEWS

the time of the crash. K ing
pleaded guilty in McK inley
Cou nt y D i s t r ic t Cou r t t o
t wo c o u n t s of Ho m ic i d e
by Veh icle f rom DW I a nd
three counts of Child Abuse
Resu lt i ng i n Great Bod i ly
Har m. On March 5, he was
sentenced to ser ve 15 years
in prison
T he New Mex ico St at e

The car Elijah King drove at the time of the crash. King, who was intoxicated behind the wheel and caused the death of two adults, pleaded
guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Photo Credit: Courtesy NM State Police

Gallup Sun • Friday March 9, 2018

7

Weekly Police Activity Report
Staff Reports

A BURNING
QUESTION
3/6, Iyanbito
McKinley County Sheriff Dep.
Monty Yazzie apparently had no
questions as to what started a
fire Monday on Red Sage Loop
in Iyanbito that caused severe
damage to a house in that Navajo
community.
As he was headed to the
scene of the fire, Metro Dispatch
informed Yazzie that “an intoxicated person at the residence
poured gasoline on the residence
and lit [the house] on fire.”
When he arrived at the scene,
the first thing he saw was that
the living room was on fire. He
also saw family members carrying buckets of water trying to out
the fire out but it was having no
affect.
He then noticed that on one
side of the house, other family
members were waving at him
and pointing to a man who they
had hog tied.
At about the same time, a
Navajo police unit showed up, as

the house was located on reservation land. Yazzie said he helped
the officer, Israel Tsosie, detain
the suspect and take him to his
unit. He placed the suspect, identified as Justin Tsosie in the back
seat of the Navajo police unit.
Volunteer firefighters from
the Fort Wingate area then
arrived on scene and were able
to put out the fire before the residence was totally destroyed.
The suspect showed signs of
being intoxicated and possibly
on drugs, so he was taken to an
area hospital to be checked out.
Yazzie said in his report that
Tsosie continued to be uncooperative and was yelling as he
was being transported from the
scene. At that point, he turned
over the scene to Navajo police.

UNGODLY VANDALS
3/4, Gamerco
T he McK i n ley Cou nt y
Sheriff’s Office was called to the
Gamerco Church of God, 206
Ray Avenue in Gamerco, twice
in three days to take a vandalism report.
The second report was taken
about 8:50 am by MCSO Dep. Ivan

Tsethlikai, who reported that
someone had shattered two double panel windows at the church.
When talking to the church’s pastor, John B. Thumma, he was
told that the two panes of glass
had just been repaired two days
before because vandals had scattered the original panes of glass
on Saturday.
Thumma told Tsethlikai he
found the same windows shattered March 2 by rocks. He had
to spend $160 each to get new
glass put in. When he returned to
church two days later, he found
the new panes had been shattered by rocks.
Thumma said he had no suspects but wondered if the children who played in the nearby
playground could have been
responsible.
Tsethlikai said he saw one
piece of rock still embedded
in the window frame and also
noticed a lot of shattered glass
on the inside of the building.
Deputies checked the outside of
the building but could not find
any footprints.
Church person nel had
checked the building and had
found nothing missing and

Pastor Thumma requested that
the sheriff’s office do security
checks on the church for the next
few days.

A $1,500 SWINDLE
3/1, Gamerco
McKinley County Sheriff
deputies were dispatched to
Gamerco to fill out a report from
Chanel Kinsel, who said she had
been swindled out of $1,500 in a
car purchase that went bad.
Kinsel said she had been
in contact with a woman on
Craigslist concerning the purchase of a 2001 Chevy Silverado.
She and her fiancé were emailing
and phoning the woman, identified as Christine Edwards, back
and forth to arrange for the purchase of the vehicle.
At Edward’s request, the two
sent her $1500 in eBay gift cards
to purchase the vehicle from
eBay Motors but Kinsel has since
found out that the entire transaction was a scam.
Kinsel told MCSO Dep.
Jonathan Todachine Jr. that she
had contacted eBay officials and
they said they don’t do eBay gift
cards for the purchase of a truck.

Company officials said, however,
that they would investigate the
situation and get back to her.
In the meantime, Todachine
said he searched the address
in Billings, Montana where the
woman, who Kinsel said spoke
with an east India accent, lived
and found a one story house. He
said he also called the number
Kinsel had for the woman but
no one answered.
Kinsel told Todachine that
eBay officials said their investigation would take about two
weeks.
Speaking of scams, the sheriff’s office is also investigating
a report from another county
resident who said that when she
did a credit report, she found
out that three credit cards had
been taken out in her name over
the past 10 years without her
knowledge.
The Vanderwagen resident
said she contacted the banks in
question but was told she needed
a police report before they could
undertake an investigation which
is why she contacted the sheriff’s
office.
She said she has also reported
the identity theft to the Federal
Trade Commission showing

POLICE ACTIVITY
| SEE PAGE 11

At Camille’s!
Buy a regular sized drink

GET a single
topping PIZZA

and

for just

$3.14

,
4
1
h
c
r
a
M
!
y
l
n
o
8
1
20

(505) 722-5017

Salads • Sandwiches • Soup • Espresso • Smoothies
8

Friday March 9, 2018 • Gallup Sun

NEWS

of nu merous reports
of s e ver a l
indiv iduals
being seen
intoxicated
i n a wh ite

WEEKLY DWI REPORT
Staff Reports
Darryl Bluehorse, 51
March 3, 1:46 am
3rd DWI, Aggravated
Gallup
P o l i c e
O f f i c e r
A d r i a n
Quetawki
was on patrol
on
west
Highway 66
a bout 1:4 6
am when he saw a car traveling
the opposite direction with no
headlights on.
He immediately turned
around and conducted a traffic stop. He told the driver,
Bluehorse, 61, of Window Rock
why he stopped him. Bluehorse
said he wasn’t aware that his
lights were off.
By this time, Quetawki said
he noticed signs that Bluehorse
may be intoxicated, so he
asked him where he was coming from. Bluehorse responded
that he was going home after
getting something to eat. He
also admitted to having had
three or four drinks during the
evening.
Since he admitted to drinking, Quetawki had him take
field sobriety tests, including
one in which he was asked to
recite the alphabet beginning
with D and ending with Q.
After being told he had
failed the tests, Quetawki
reported Bluehorse as saying:
“Yeah, I am impaired.”

Bluehorse then agreed to
take a breath alcohol test and
was taken to state police headquarters where he posted two
samples of .16.
Anson Shirley
March 2, 6:33 am
DWI
McKinley
C o u n t y
Sher i f f ’s
Office Dep.
J. Bowman
spotted a
car driving
i n s id e t he
median on State Highway 491.
When he attempted to stop the
car, the driver continued on to
turn into T&R Market, stopping inside the parking lot.
Bowman approached the car
and saw the driver move from
the driver seat to the passenger
seat, though his leg was caught
by the gear shift and the dash
panel, according to the police
report.
Shirley, 27, opened the car
door and Bowman could smell
alcohol coming out of the
car, according to his report.
Bowman saw a 12 ounce can
of beer spilled on the floor of
the car and on Shirley’s shirt.
When Bowman asked for his
license, Shirley replied that
he didn’t have one. The car
belonged to his girlfriend.
Shirley was hesitant to leave
the vehicle, but then agreed to
field sobriety testing. He performed poorly and argued with
the officer throughout the test.

Bowman then placed Shirley
under arrest, and Shirley said:
“Why are you arresting me, I
wasn’t even the driver,” according to the report. Shirley blew a
.26 and a .27 on his breath test
before booking.
Kirk Pensyl,
March 2, 12:11 am
1st DWI, Aggravated
M C S O
D e p .
Johnson Lee
w a s he a d ing south
on Mu noz
Overpass
when he
saw a speeding car, traveling 70 miles per hour on a
40 MPH road. Lee pulled the
driver over, then encountering
Pensyl, 18, who “was slurring
[his words] and had blood shot
watery eyes,” according to
Lee’s police report.
Lee asked Pensyl if he had
been drinking. Pensyl said he
hadn’t been, but that his passengers had. Pensyl said he had
been smoking. Lee aked Pensyl
to participate in field sobriety
testing, and Pensyl agreed. He
performed poorly on the tests
and was then arrested for DWI,
soon after blowing a .14 and a
.16 on a breath test.
Marilyn Dixon
March 1, 12:00 am
3rd DWI, Aggravated
Just after midnight, GPD
Officer Steven Eldridge was
dispatched to the 3400 block
of East Highway 66 because

van.
When he got to the area, he
saw the van head into a Giant
gas station near the 26-mile
marker and went over to do a
welfare check. He asked Dixon,
60, of Churchrock to step out
from behind the wheel and
noticed she had bloodshot
eyes and other signs of being
intoxicated.
She admitted to drinking a
can of beer 15 minutes before
the traffic stop and then agreed
to take field sobriety tests,
which she failed. She was
then placed under arrest and
Eldridge said he noticed an
open beer can near the driver’s
seat, and he charged her with
possession of an open liquor
container as well.
Eldridge said he was also
informed by Metro Dispatch
that Dixon had a suspended
driver’s license because of two
previous DWI convictions. She
was charged for that as well.
The DWI charge was later
changed to aggravated DWI
when she agreed to take a
breath alcohol test and posted
two samples of 17.
Freddie James
Feb. 28, 11:00 am
1st DWI
Met ro
Dispatch
received a
c a l l a bout
11 am of a
driver in a
red car seen

staggering at a Conoco gas station on West Highway 66.
A l it t le l a t er, G a l lu p
Patrolman Norman Bowman
called in, saying he spotted
a vehicle of that description
heading north on Twin Buttes
Road heading back to Highway
66. He said he watched the
vehicle as it stopped at the
intersection and just sat there
despite the fact that there was
no traffic on Highway 66.
A f ter about a m i nute,
Bowman said he saw the vehicle turn east on Highway 66
and he began following it until
he saw the car had no license
plate so he conducted a traffic stop. He then talked to the
driver, James, 38, of Window
Rock, who informed him he
had no driver’s license.
Smelling the odor of intoxicating liquor coming from
James, Bowman asked if he
had anything to drink that day
and James admitted to having
had two beers earlier in the
morning.
After James refused to
take a field sobriety test, he
agreed to allow Bowman to
take a breath alcohol sample
using his portable breathalyzer. He posted a sample of
.24. Bowman said he noticed
an open beer can in the vehicle so he was charged with that
as well.
Thee were two passengers
in the vehicle and they were
also found to be intoxicated
so they were taken to NCI
while James was transported
to the McKinley County Adult
Detention Center for booking.

L BUQU E RQU E –
At tor ney Genera l
Hec t or Ba lder a s,
part of a coalition
of 17 attorneys general, filed
comments March 6 opposing
the Trump Depar tment of
Labor’s Proposed Rule, which
seeks to expand the criteria
for forming association health
plans (AHPs) in order to evade
the consumer protections
enshrined in the Affordable
Care Act (ACA) and sabotage
the ACA. AHPs have a long history of fraud, mismanagement,
and abuse, with millions in
unpaid claims for policyholders and providers, often leading to consumer bankruptcies.
“President Tr ump is
directly threatening the health
of hundreds of thousands of
New Mexico children, parents
and senior citizens with his
reckless rule,” Balderas said.
“The President himself admitted that this is just an attempt
to sabotage the Affordable
Care Act. All New Mexicans

deser ve access to quality,
affordable health care and
we will continue to stand up
to President Trump to protect
that access.”
Trump himself cited the
sabotage of the ACA as the
clear purpose of the Proposed
Rule, stating while signing
the order that he was “taking
crucial steps towards saving
the American people from the
nightmare of Obamacare,” and
tweeting the following day that
“ObamaCare is a broken mess.
Piece by piece we will now
begin the process of giving
America the great HealthCare
it deserves!”

Over the last few decades,
Congress ha s legislated –
including through the ACA
– to protect health care consumers from AHPs’ fraudulent conduct. The Proposed
Ru le wou ld u ndo cr itica l
consumer protections and
u ndu ly ex pa nd access to
AHPs without sufficient justification or consideration of
the consequences.
T he a t t or ney s gener a l
c a ut ion t h a t pr oje c t ion s
forecast that the Proposed
Rule, if finalized, would lead
to several million enrollees
sh i f t i ng out of t he ACA’s
individual and small group
markets into AHPs with far
fewer hea lth benef its a nd
that the Proposed Rule would
increase premiums for those
remaining in the individual
ACA market.
State attorneys general
have extensive experience protecting individuals and small
employers from predator y
entities that seek to defraud
or deceive customers through
the use of AHPs.

Crime Stoppers Presents
It's The Right Thing To Do!

Friday, February 16, 2018

INFORMATION
WANTED

WHO:
Wil Randy Begay
WHAT HAPPENED:
Mr. Begay was struck by a vehicle/vehicles
near mile post 20; he was found dead on
the median, north of the eastbound lanes of I-40
WHEN:
Friday, February 9, 2018; early morning

If you have information about the driver(s) of the vehicle(s),

CALL CRIME STOPPERS TODAY!
You could receive as much as $1,000.00!

CALL 1-877-722-6161 TOLL-FREE!
Your name and phone number
will remain confidential.

10

Friday March 9, 2018 • Gallup Sun

Body found in
Mentmore area
Staff Reports

M

cK i n ley Cou nt y
Sheriff’s Deputies
were dispatched
to the Mentmore
area around 7 pm Feb. 28 in
connection with a report of a
body found under the bridge
near the Mentmore Road.
W hen officers a r r ived,
they found the body of Ernest
Bilagody, 35. They also found
a red Volkswagen parked near
the body, which was in a fetal
position.
Deputies found a pack
of beer nearby with one can

opened.
The police repor t said
Bilagody was on his knees with
his face wedged in the ground
face down. The body was cold
to the touch, according to the
report.
There had been a report
earlier in the evening of a man
dressed similarly to Bilagody
leaning over the bridge.
Merle Bates, the chief investigator for the sheriff’s office,
said March 8 that his office is
still waiting for autopsy results
but at the current time the case
is not being investigated as
suspicious.

Pawn shop robbery
suspect dead
Staff Reports

T

he man suspected of
stealing a revolver
from Ted’s Pawn has
died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound March 8.
Gallup Police Department
released an “attempt to locate”
bulletin to the Sun shortly
before noon Thursday.
The bulletin stated that
the man, who was described
as Native American and being
about 5 feet 5 inches tall wearing a red pullover, entered Ted’s
Pawn Shop on Maloney Avenue
at about 10 am and asked to see
a .357 magnum revolver.
When he was given one, the

CHURCHROCK
| FROM PAGE 6
Navajo man on the Navajo Indian
Reservation in McKinley County
on Oct. 14, 2016. According to
the criminal complaint, Payton
killed the victim by hitting and
Over

50

Years
EXPERIENCE

The suspect, in red, stole a .357 magnum
revolver and fled in a Ford pickup. Photo
Credit: Courtesy of Gallup Police Dept.

PAWN
| SEE PAGE 14
kicking him repeatedly during a
fight. Payton subsequently was
indicted on the same charge on
Nov. 15, 2016.
On July 18, Payton pled
guilty to the indictment and
admitted killing the victim
during a fight on Oct. 14, 2016.

officials there what information
she has about the credit cards
taken out in her name.

A SCHOOL
SHOOTING
MYSTERY
2/27, THOREAU
McKinley County Sheriff
officials still don’t know what
happened Feb. 27 at 7:30 pm
when shots were reported near
Thoreau High School.
A security guard at the
school had called in the report
and when deputies arrived at the
school, they talked to the security guard, Logan Littlefield, and
advised him to evacuate anyone
in the building, which included
school officials, students and
parents.
In the meantime, MCSO Dep.
Paul Davis Jr. went to the area
near the baseball field where the
shots were coming from and he
talked to Littlefield who said
security guards heard about 30
shots being fired accompanied
by light flashes after every shot.
Littlefield told Davis that it
was possible what they heard
might have been fireworks, but
an examination of the area as
well as a nearby shed found no
evidence of bullet casings or
fireworks.
Davis found a trailer nearby
the scene. He watched the trailer
for several minutes but saw no
activity around it. By that time,
there were three or four deputies
at the school and they decided to
wait for Navajo police to arrive
before checking out the trailer.
Two Navajo police officers
showed up and the group walked
on foot to the trailer and talked
to a man who lived inside. He
told the officers he did not know
what was going on and added
that he had not heard any shots.
They then walked back to
the school and told the security
guards as well as the school officials there that they could not
find any evidence that guns had

LARCENY REPORTS
2/26, Bluewater
T he McK i n ley Cou nt y
Sheriff’s Office is investigating
two larceny reports filed in the
last few weeks.
The first came from officials
for the Rutherford Construction
Company who reported that a
20-volt battery was taken from
a backhoe that had been at a
highway construction site on
Highway 602 near the 13-mile
marker.
The theft occurred either
on Feb. 26 or 27, when the constructi on crew had left for the
night. The toggle switches for
the four-wheel vehicle were also
taken. There are no suspects.
On Feb. 28, sheriff deputies
also received a report from
Lindsay Tillian who said that
a trailer had been stolen from
his property on Garcia Road in
Bluewater. He said he found the
fence cut but had no suspects.
A neighbor said he saw a red
truck in the area when the trailer
may have been stolen.

CHURCH VANDAL
ARRESTED

POLICE ACTIVITY
| SEE PAGE 14

INTRODUCTORY LESSON

HOME OF:
230 W Coal Ave.
Gallup, NM
505-879-5641

NEWS

However, admitting officials there refused to take
him in, saying he had no concept of where he was or time
so Bowman had to take him
to the Rehoboth McKinley
Christian Hospital for a medical clearance.
W hen t hey got t here,
Bowman said he had to assist
him in walking to the emergency ward because he was
unsteady on his feet. Bowman
said he stayed with him until
he received medical clearance
and then transported him back
to the jail.
Robert Tso,
Feb. 27, 11:03 am
DWI, Aggravated
MCSO Dep. J. Bowman
arrived at State Highway 566
and Challenger Road after
reports of an accident there,
and then found Tso, 51, sitting
in the driver seat. Tso left the
vehicle and admitted to not

having a driver’s license
or ID on
him. Tso told
Bowman:
“ I ’m go i n g
to admit.
I’m top out.
I’m guilty. I
was driving,” according to the
police report.
When asked if he would
agree to field sobriety testing,
Tso said: “I’m going to fail. I’m
full bar… I can’t pass it.” Tso
was only able to take one of the
field tests, and showed all signs
of intoxication. He was transported for booking and blew a
.30 twice on his breath test.
Shiela Silversmith
Feb. 26, 3:38 pm
DWI
MC S O D e p. B r a n d o n
Salazar was dispatched to
State Highway 400 nearby
Painted Horse Trail Road over
a crash in the area. Upon arriving, Salazar met Silversmith,
39, standing on the side of

the road.
Silverman
s m e l l e d
strongly
of a lc o h o l ,
according
to the police
r e p o r t .
Silversmith told Bowman that
another person was driving,
but when Bowman spoke to
that person he was told it was
Silversmith who was responsible for the crash.
Salazar returned to speak
to Silversmith, and found she
was the registered owner of
the car involved in the crash.
Salazar asked Silversmith if
she would take field sobriety
tests for him, and she said
she would not, as she had
been drinking, according to
the police report. Silversmith
admitted to drinking “roughly
a 12 pack” of beer, according to
the police report.
Silversmith blew a .13 and
a .13 on her breath test before
being booked.

STAY UPDATED
FIND US ON FACEBOOK

2/25, Gallup
Gallup Police reported the
arrest of a Farmington man who
was caught breaking the windows of a Gallup church Feb. 25.
Ryan Roy Chee, 35, was
charged with breaking and
entering and criminal damage
to property.
Just after midnight, several
Gallup, police officers responded
to a report of a problem at the
Christian Fellowship Church,
2495 East
Aztec Avenue.
W h e n
Gallup Police
Officer Darius
Johnson got
to the site, he
was told that

1 FREE

•
•
•
•
•

DWI REPORT
| FROM PAGE 9

Junior Olympics Champions
International Champions
Arizona State Champions
New Mexico State Champions
Colorado State Champions

We’re in the business

of powering communities
A diverse energy mix benefits everyone. As a co-op

member, 30 percent of the electricity you use comes

from renewable resources. That’s just one way we help
provide you with reliable power day and night.
Together, we generate possibilities.

|

www.tristate.coop/renewables

Gallup Sun • Friday March 9, 2018

11

Water and Energy Awareness Day gets
learning flowing at Red Rock Park
THE INTERACTIVE LEARNING EVENT IS IN ITS THIRTEENTH YEAR

By Boderra Joe
Sun Correspondent

S

ince Gallup is the central location for schools
in the McKinley County,
practicing good water
conservation and energy saving
is a matter of routine.
The City of Gallup and
Gallup McKinley County Schools
teamed up March 7, giving students a hands-on lesson on how
to conserve water and energy at
the Water and Energy Awareness
Day event at Red Rock Park.

STUDENTS
For the past 13 years, Water
and Energy Awareness Day has
had success in educating over
13,000 fourth and fifth grade students, along with teachers and
high school volunteers.
Participating elementary
schools included: Jefferson
Element a r y, T w i n L a kes
E l e m e n t a r y, R e d R o c k

Elementar y, David Skeets
Elementary, Ramah Elementary,
Navajo Elementary, Thoreau
Elementary, and Crownpoint
Elementary.
Each group had roughly 15
to 25 students and were chaperoned by teachers and high
school volunteers.

MAIN EVENT
The city’s environmental
program coordinator, Elizabeth
Barriga, is the director of the
event, which teaches the importance of conserving water and
water-reducing routines in a fun
atmosphere.
Barriga said that the outdoor event provides important
context for students who learn
visually, and have trouble in
classroom environments. The
hands-on approach is helpful
when teaching science, water
and electrical safety education.
“Interactive atmosphere
is what most kids will love,”

Natural Resources Conservation Service “Rolling River Trailer” presenters April Forman, right, and Josh Forman, left, discuss the flow of
water in the ground with Gallup McKinley County Elementary students at the Water and Energy Awareness Day at Red Rock Park in Gallup
on March 7. Photo Credit: Boderra Joe
Barriga said. “[They] learn things
in a different fashion.”
Barriga keeps busy outside of
organizing the yearly event. She
writes grants, updates water

It Makes
You
Happy!

You’re
Amazing!

reports every year, and tackles
projects and administration of
some of the grants. Still, Barriga
takes pride when she sees
the impact Water and Energy
Awareness Day has on students.
“This [event] takes a huge
chunk of time for a couple of
months throughout the year,” she
said. “Coordinating the teachers,
presenters, volunteers, training,
and anybody who has any questions. It’s a lot of work to do this.
But the biggest thing about this,
is seeing the wonderment on the
kids’ faces and their fascination
of what they’re learning.”

FOCUS

You
Deserve
To!

Schedule your dental checkup today

SMILE BECAUSE…

You
Can!

Dr. Eduardo Valda, DDS

Birth to 21 – Hospital Dentistry – Emergency Service

Beyond being fun and informative for Gallup students,
the event’s main goal was
to raise awareness of water
conservation through public
presentations.
This year’s 24-plus presenters all led water-based
a c t iv it ie s a nd d i scu s sed

topics i nclud i ng erosion,
conservation, ground water,
and the water cycle. The presenters demonstrated how
students and the community
could improve their water
usage, suggesting changing
out water wasting fixtures to
lower flow models, turning off
the water when brushing your
teeth, and practicing sustainable landscaping.
The City of Gallup presenter
demonstrated to students how
to see and understand leaks
inside the city’s water pipes,
which use portable cameras to
locate where a leak is coming
from.
Fred Johnson, an environmental specialist from the Navajo
Nation Environmental Protection
Agency, discussed the waters
of the Navajo Nation and their
water quality standards, which
include domestic water supplies,

OPINIONS
Tax law doesn’t alter definitions of independent contractor
themselves as independent
contractors. But employees
who wish to serve their former employers as independent
contractors should know that
even though tax laws have
changed, the rules governing
working relationships have not:
Independent contractors still
must meet the criteria that distinguish them from employees.

By Finance New Mexico

T

he new t a x law
passed by Congress
i n December 2017
aims to lower taxes for
everyone, but proponents cite
its overwhelming benefits to
businesses. Under the new law,
companies — including sole
proprietors and workers in the
gig economy — can deduct 20
percent of their revenue from
taxable income.
T h i s p r o v i s io n a lo n e
could disrupt formal relationships between employers

PITFALLS
OF MISCLAS­
SIFICATION
and workers, increasing the

number of people who define

MADAME G

Employees who become

contractors lose many benefits of a traditional job,
among them access to workers’ compensation insurance
for work-related injuries and
unemployment benefits. Rather
than sharing the cost of Social
Security and Medicare taxes
with an employer, independent
contractors pay these self-employment taxes alone.
Contractors who do business in New Mexico also have
to collect and pay gross receipts

TAX LAW
| SEE PAGE 14

GUIDE TO THE STARS
WEEK OF MARCH 9

The Last Quarter Moon occurs on Friday, March 9. Consider this an excellent time for rest and reflection. You may notice some residual energy from the Full
Moon, but this will only cause anxiety. Look towards your future while focusing on the path in front of you. Put one foot in front of the other and keep walking. Madame G wishes you a fair evening with a little mischief.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.22)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

What’s that whisper on the wind?
You may feel a hint of fear at
the opportunity about to come.
Instead of wallowing in the
unknown and blindly fighting your
way through a paper bag, take
a deep breath. You can’t always
win by strength alone. Instead
take a moment to consider the
situation. Do you really kill a fly
with a hammer on a stained glass
window? No, no you don’t.

You’re on the right path to
your goals. It’s important to
stop and smell the sage brush.
Be thankful for whatever you
see around you. Start showing
appreciation for the people who
mean the most to you. If you’re in
a relationship, remember to tell
your partner you care. Tell them
about their excellent features and
characteristics. Then watch your
relationship shine.

Don’t be nervous Libra. People
are taking notice of your extra
efforts. You’re doing a bang up
job. They’re proud of you and
they want you to know it. It’s one
thing to lead people by force—it’s
another to help them through the
fire by walking with them. You’re
capable of ripping tin from a roof
with your hands. But, it’s not
necessary. Walk softly. You have
friends.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

The world is full of the ungrateful
and ingrates. Don’t become one.
If you want to see change in the
world, you must become the
leader you’ve always wanted.
Start by taking care of yourself.
Lean into what you’d really like
to do in this life and live free of
constraint. What’s one dream you
had as a little boy or girl? Are you
living that dream? If not, it’s time
for some fun. GO!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

You’re putting up walls! If it’s
a structure to your house—
Excellent work! The best place
to rest is in the comfort of your
own home. You’re working toward
your goals and keeping a healthy
perspective on the outcome. Life
is all about making plans and
watching your perfectly wellgroomed ideas turn into reality.
You may have to bend, but use a
measuring compass.

Changes are coming. But you’ve
been prepared for this. Even as
the dust settles and the action
has occurred, dear little Scorpio
is looking further. Remember to
take time for yourself otherwise
you’ll get trapped into a deep
sleep at a bad time. Instead take
simple moments for yourself each
day. Don’t forget the gym. Plan for
the future, while living fully in the
present. This is your time.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

What else can you do? You must
live your life, not as god intended,
but as you intend. This doesn’t
mean you can’t take inspiration
from on high. You must look
towards the divine for inspiration
on how to live well and fully. But,
only you can define what living
on high means to you. You must
live this life—for you’ll only have
yourself to blame.

What’s in a name? You have no
idea. You just want your paycheck
and to go home. This is a bit
of a mess, but it’s of your own
creation. You miscalculated. But,
this doesn’t have to be the end
of the road. Look into a mirror
and look at yourself—really look.
What do you see? Who are you?
Who are you meant to become?
Are you there yet? Why not?

Have you made a mess of it yet?
You may think you’re heading
down the right path. Are you?
Only you really know. It’s on you
to take charge of yourself and
learn what you must to be all you
can be. Don’t make this a contest
of words. Stop talking about what
you’d like to do and just do it. NO
one is stopping you except for
you. You don’t need permission.

Well, here we are and there we
go. You don’t have to make huge
moments out of pitiful moments.
But, stop to consider that our
lives are really just a bunch of
little moments that are stacked
up together. Define significant
moments with the ones you love
and appreciate them. You have
nothing left to fear if you face
each day with an open heart and a
free mind. Go you!

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
You can do this! Whatever you
fear to face or whatever decision
has left you on the side of a ditch
puking your guts out—you’re
going to be fine. This too shall
pass (as does everything). Don’t
forget to breathe. You’re more
than capable of taking on the
ancient ghosts of your past and
the much scarier ghosts of your
future. Meet them as friends and
they’ll treat you with respect.
OPINIONS

All’s well that ends well. You never
know if the person who pisses
you off is really a good friend in
the making. Sometimes, enemies
make the best of friends. They tell
you what you don’t really want
to hear or acknowledge about
yourself. It can be annoying at
first, but you must let go of your
anger and stop holding grudges.
They don’t suit you.

Gallup Sun • Friday March 9, 2018

13

TAX LAW
| FROM PAGE 13
tax on the revenue they receive.
And while the Affordable Care
Act is no longer a federal
mandate, contractors shoulder the costs of their health
insurance and retirement plan
contributions.
Employees also lose the job
security provided by companies
that retain workers when revenue dips: Contractors are usually the first to feel the effects of
economic downturns because
they are the easiest to terminate

POLICE ACTIVITY
| FROM PAGE 11
there was a man, later identified
as Chee, inside the building. He
said he saw two windows at the

— and to replace when the
economy starts moving again.
Companies that knowingly
misclassify — or have no reasonable basis for treating a worker
as a contractor — can be liable for retroactive employment
taxes and overtime pay if the
worker exceeded the maximum
number of hours allowed by law.

According to the Internal
Revenue Service website, the
general rule is that “an individual is an independent contractor

if the payer has the right to control or direct only the result of
the work and not what will be
done and how it will be done.”
But the U.S. Department of
Labor Wage and Hour Division,
which protects workers’ rights
under the Fair Labor Standards
Act, cites additional factors that
govern the relationship, and only
one involves degree of control.
Other factors include whether the
worker’s managerial skills affect
his or her profit and loss, the extent
to which the work is integral to the
employer’s business, the worker’s
skill and initiative, the investments

made and risks shared by each,
and the permanency of the relationship. No one factor outweighs
the rest, and the Labor Department
urges a qualitative rather than
quantitative analysis.
Workers who apply their
skills to multiple entities and
can increase their contractual
relationships can probably
be considered sole-proprietor
independent contractors. But
workers with a single contract
should review the criteria to
determine if they are properly
classified. Businesses should
conduct periodic reviews of

their worker relationships to
ensure that circumstances haven’t changed and they haven’t
inadvertently moved workers
into a different category.
For more information,
visit https://www.dol.gov/
whd / regs /compliance /
whdfs13.htm or https://www.
irs.gov/businesses.
Finance New Mexico
connects individuals and
bu sinesses with skill s
and funding resources for
their business or idea. To
learn more, go to www.
FinanceNewMexico.org.

church broken and Chee kicking
the front door.
He saw Chee begin to walk
away from the building and
arrested him. A witness came
up to him and said he heard the

windows being broken and saw
Chee. Since Chee had cuts to
his hand, he was taken first to
a local hospital to get the cuts
treated before he was transported to the McKinley County

Adult Detention Center and
booked.

Secu r it y of f icia ls had
watched Cantu remove a cell
phone from its packaging at
the store and then walk out
with it. He was followed to the
Applebee’s Restaurant just east
of the store and police found him
there trying to get the cell phone
to work.
He wa s a r rested a nd
t a ken t o t he cou nt y ja i l
where he wa s booked on
shoplifting charges.

HOW TO KNOW

For each requester form returned, the Gallup Sun will donate 75 cents to Big Brothers, Big
Sisters of Gallup. We need 3,500 filled out and returned to the Sun by March 30 (extension).
Limit: One per person. Please don’t submit another if you have submitted one in the past.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Dear Readers, in order to keep the Gallup Sun a FREE publication, and to keep our United States
Post Service Periodicals mailing privileges, we are kindly asking our readers to request the Gallup Sun.
Your information will remain confidential, and will not be sold or used for commercial purposes.
We need all forms completed soon, so please take a moment to fill out the form and send it back.
Please share with friends and family living in the continental United States. Let’s keep the Gallup Sun
free. There is no cost whatsoever to fill out this form. You will not be billed.
Thank you for your continued support.

A SHOPLIFTER
CAUGHT
2/16, Gallup
Fabian Jose Cantu, 32, of
Gamerco was caught with the
evidence on Feb. 16 after Gallup
Police responded to a phone call
from a security guard at WalMart of a possible shoplifter.

PAWN
| FROM PAGE 10
suspect took a bullet from his
pocket, put it in the revolver
and pointed it at the clerk. He
then fled the pawn shop and
got into an older model Ford
pickup.
GPD Capt. Marinda Spencer
said police found the pickup
truck matching the description

parked at American Heritage
Plaza. Police initiated a traffic
stop, but the suspect ignored
police commands to exit the
vehicle.
“The next thing they hear is
a gunshot,” she said.
Paramedics arrived and
pronounced him dead at the
scene. The name of man is
being withheld until the next
of kin is notified.

GALLUP SUN REQUESTER FORM
NAME: _________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________________
CITY: _______________________________ STATE: ______ ZIP: ___________________
PHONE: _______________________________________
SIGNATURE: ___________________________________ DATE: ___________________
YOUR INFORMATION WILL NOT BE SOLD OR USED FOR ANY COMMERCIAL
PURPOSES, AND IS THE CONFIDENTIAL PROPERTY OF THE GALLUP SUN.
YOU WILL NOT BE BILLED.

14

Friday March 9, 2018 • Gallup Sun

OPINIONS

COMMUNITY
Christopher Trujillo is Camille’s Sidewalk
Cafe’s ‘Teacher of the Month’
FORMER BASEBALL ATHLETE CHANGES CAREERS TO HELP MATH STUDENTS
By Dee Velasco
For the Sun

C

a m i l le’s Sidewa l k
Ca fe’s ha s na med
Christopher Trujillo,
a ninth and eleventh
grade teacher at Gallup High
School, their Teacher of the
Month for March.
Trujillo, like many teachers who have been nominated
in the past, expressed surprise
that the community recognized
his hard work and dedication
as a teacher.
“I was really excited when
you guys called and told me,
I thought that was awesome,”
Trujillo said. “We work so hard
and it’s good to be noticed
about that, so I appreciate that.
It never entered my mind and I
thought this would never ever
happen.”
H a i l i n g f r o m G a l lu p,
Trujillo received his Bachelor’s
degree in secondary education
at Grand Canyon University.
He also holds a bachelor’s
degree in physical education.
Trujillo is currently pursuing
his master’s degree in special
education.
Trujillo began college on a
baseball scholarship, intending to go professional with the

sport. He played well at Gallup
High School but struggled to
make a team after graduation.
It was after taking education
classes in college that Trujillo
knew where his path in life
would take him.
“I thought since I couldn’t
become a professional baseball player, I’ll be a professional
teacher instead,” Trujillo said.
“I want to work my hardest and
get to the top where teaching
can take me in education and
help the students. That’s my
number one goal.”
Trujillo teaches resource
math, a class for students who
have trouble with mathematics.
Trujillo says it’s his job to move
students past that struggle and
advance them in the subject.
He wants his students to do
a lot more in math, and bring
them up to a level they never
thought they could reach.
“Right now I believe we are
keeping up with the regular
class so that’s really good, so
when testing comes they will
be ready to go,” Trujillo said of
the progress his class has made
this year.

Christopher Trujillo, a resource math teacher, poses for a photo at Gallup High School in Gallup March 1. Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe selected
Trujillo as their Teacher of the Month, gifting him with a basket of supplies and a gift card to the restaurant. Photo Credit: Cayla Nimmo

A FAMILY AFFAIR
Trujillo began his teaching

Christopher Trujillo, a resource math teacher for Gallup High School, talks about his passion for teaching and the path that lead him back to
his alma matter during an interview held at Gallup High School in Gallup March 1. Trujillo graduated from the school in 2011 and now has
been teaching there for one year. Photo Credit: Cayla Nimmo

Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe presents Christopher Trujillo with a basket of gifts, including school
supplies and a gift card to the restaurant, at Gallup High School in Gallup March 1. Trujillo,
a math teacher for Gallup High School, was selected as the Teacher of the Month in the
monthly contest held by Camille’s. Photo Credit: Cayla Nimmo
COMMUNITY

career at Gallup Middle School,
and has been teaching at Gallup
High School for just over a
year. He says his mom, Debbie
Trujillo, deserves all the credit
for his carreer success.
“My mom is a teacher and
when I was at Grand Canyon
University, I really wasn’t
aware of this education field
because I went there to go play
some baseball,” he said. “One
day I showed up to a couple

education classes and my mom
told me that I was going to be a
teacher because of those education classes. I took them and
really enjoyed them and told
my mom thank you for inspiring me that I was headed on my
way to become a teacher.”
Trujillo studied for four
years to become a teacher
like his mother, who has been
teaching for over 33 years at
Gallup High School.

Along with his mother,
Tr u jillo also sites school
administrators as inspiration, who push him with their
leadership.
“I’m not just saying that
because I’m here,” he said with a
laugh. “But I feel I can learn from
them and grow in their leadership, which means a lot to me.”

TRUJILLO
| SEE PAGE 20

Gallup Sun • Friday March 9, 2018

15

Rocky View Elementary School hosts Family Math Night
STUDENTS LEARN FUN, EASY TOOLS TO IMPROVE THEIR MATH SKILLS
By Dee Velasco
For the Sun

P

arents, family, friends
a nd students were
invited to Rocky View
Elementary School’s
Family Math Night March 1,
where they learned fun techniques to handle tricky problems. Parents felt encouraged
as they were shown the math
learning skills their children
are being taught.
T he event wa s hosted
by Empower Educationa l
Consulting, an educational
consulting firm based out of
Chandler, Ariz. Jennifer French
Crone and Laura Moore gave
the presentation, two educators with the firm who travel
throughout the United States
discussing and applying new
ways for students to learn
math.
Crone and Moore emphasized that the way students
were taught in the past fails
to prepare today’s students for
the higher demands of college
and careers. With efforts like
Family Math Night, schools
like Rocky View are working to
improve teaching and learning

to ensure that all children will
graduate high school with the
skills needed to be successful.
In mathematics, efforts to
prepare students involve three
major changes.
Teachers will concentrate
on teaching a more focused
set of major math concepts and
skills, allowing students time
to master key math concepts
and skills in a more organized
way throughout the year and
from one grade to the next.
This reworked curriculum
will also call for teachers to
use rich and challenging math
content to engage students in
solving real-world problems,
which the school hopes will
inspire greater interest in the
subject.
At Fa mily Math Night,
Ga me - ba s ed educ a t ion a l
materials were handed out to
students from Pre-K through
fifth grade to take home and
practice what they had learned.
These consisted of simple addition and subtraction games like
Butterfly, in which a player
draws three cards from a deck
and finds their sum.
Crone wants the students
to overcome their fear of math,

Parents engage in math games with their children during Rocky View Elementary School’s Family Math night March 1. Parents said they
felt excited by the chance to help their children succeed in dificult subjects. Photo Credit: Knifewing Segura
and also for parents to get
excited and motivate the students. She described how Math
Night came to Rocky View.
“Family Math night came
about because this school does
a lot of work with families that
try to encourage them to be a
part of their kids’ education,”

Crone said. “Lots of parents
have a phobia of math and
we want to empower them to
understand how to help their
student with math. So, we
wanted to have this math night
so that parents can learn a little
bit of how math has changed
since they were in school and

to get them to the classes for
their kids to show off some
of the games they have been
learning, and show them how
math is fun.”
Moore, who was thrilled

Diné College veterans Jeremiah Holiday, Scott Morgan and Franklin Sage, Ph.D, pose for
a photo while attending a recent meet-and-greet veterans session at the College. Photo
Credit: Courtesy Diné College

Diné College hosts
veteran meet-and-greet
on two campuses
Staff Reports

T

SAILE, Ariz. — Close
to two dozen people
turned out Feb. 27
and 28 for hours-long
meet-and-greet sessions with
Diné College veterans and representatives from area veterans
organizations, officials said.

Ed Cur tis, an academic
and veterans advisor at Diné
College, said the Tsaile gathering went well. That gathering featured three veteran
representatives who fielded
q ue s t ion s on e ver y t h i n g

DINÉ COLLEGE
| SEE PAGE 18
COMMUNITY

A Wrinkle in Time lacks
darkness to balance the light
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun

RATING: «« OUT
OF ««««
RUNNING TIME:
109 MINUTES

T

h e 19 6 2 b o ok , A
Wrinkle in Time, was
one that completely
passed me by growing
up. However, it has developed
a fervent following, now large
enough to warrant a $105 million dollar cinematic adaptation. What transpires is noble
in its intentions to promote
love and a positive approach
to life. However, as a drama
and adventure that spans the
universe, it never manages to
build up a great deal in the way
of thrills.
Meg Murry (Storm Reid) is
a young girl whose schoolwork
and attitude change for the
worse when her astrophysicist
father (Chris Pine) disappears.
After four years, her child prodigy brother, Charles Wallace
(Deric McCabe), believes he
has found a lead in locating
their dad. It comes in the form
of three eccentric, costumed
space-beings na med Mrs.
Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon),
Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling) and

Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey).
They explain that Meg and
Charles Wallace’s father has
gotten lost traversing the universe and agree to assist the
kids and their pal Calvin (Levi
Miller) in finding the missing
scientist. These guides are a
force of light, encouraging the
children to ward off the evil
darkness that is expanding
from world to world.
The kids are fine in their
roles, if written a bit too perfect
to be believed. I suppose in a
kid’s film, one has to be open to
the idea of a 6-ish-year-old child
prodigy solving the mystery of
a disappearance well before
his scientist mother (who happened to be working on the very
same project as her husband).
The movie does boast some
elaborate and colorful special
effects as the leads use the
“tesseract” to locate him. This
amounts to traveling billions of
miles through time and space
by using their minds. A couple
of the strange worlds offer some
interesting imagery; in particular, a sinister environment that
looks like a suburban tract out
of the 1950s.
Unfortunately, there are
some serious story issues that
diffuse much of the excitement. There’s a lot of set-up
establishing the astral visitors
as personifications of light and

The new children’s feature has a good message, but clunky dialogue and a lack of energy weigh the picture down. Photo Credit: Courtesy
of Disney
positive energy, promoting individual strength and attempting
to instill pro-activeness in the
heroine. The attempt is admirable, although some very clunky
humor is used to make the
point. Mrs. Who only speaks in
inspirational quotes and Mrs.
Whatsit openly voices doubts
about Meg (which seems like a
contrast to what the character
actually stands for). Many of
these gags fall flat.
But the ma jor problem
is the villain of the piece.
Eventually referred to as IT,
the being is visually portrayed

Josie J Paiz

as a mix between storm clouds
and cells, also possessing treelike features. After spending
so much time developing manifestations of light, the film
desperately needs a Mr. or Mrs.
Darkness; some sort of physical
manifestation to offer a creepy,
even charismatic persona and
tangible threat. Instead, the
kids essentially face off against
weather patterns. Towards the
end, IT does use a character or
two as a puppet, but this antagonist has no strong identity and
doesn’t make an impression.
And when Meg finds inspiration to face her foe, much of

With 40 years of
experience we are here to
serve your Insurance needs,
providing friendly customer
care with many companies
to choose from …

A FEW OF THE POLICIES WE OFFER INCLUDE:
• Life, Auto, home/mobile home, and businesses.

COME BY OUR OFFICE

MOVIE TICKETS $5 AT ALL TIMES
CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER FREE WITH ADULT FOR FILMS

Fri, Mon-Thurs
@ 6pm
Sat @ 11am
Sun @ 2, 5, & 8pm

AND LET US ASSIST YOU
• Liability and Worker's Comp. & Collector Autos. WITH YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS.
Also get a quote online for Auto Insurance daily @ Amazinggraceinsurance.net

Mountainﬁlm on
Tour

SPANISH SPEAKING STAFF AVAILABLE

Office Hours:

Mon-Fri - 9 am to 5 pm (Closed from 1-2)
Closed Weekends
COMMUNITY

102 E. Aztec
Office: 505-863-8086
Cell: 505-870-3948

the action is oddly scored with
pop tunes. As a result, there is
no drama or anxiety generated.
Finally, while earnest, the
denouement resorts to too
many saccharine hugs, cornball sentiment and clunky
exchanges between the characters. The ideas are certainly
there, but the screenplay never
really does the drama any service, leading to an adventure
that is entirely underwhelming.
I admired individual scenes in
A Wrinkle in Time, but as a
whole the movie doesn’t provide the sense of wonder and
excitement hoped for.

March 10 @4:30 &
8:30pm
$8 for adults and $5 for

MARCH 9-15

children/students
Tickets are cash at the
door

Gallup Sun • Friday March 9, 2018

17

DVD/Blu-ray Roundup for March 9, 2018
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun

H

e l l o a g a i n . I t ’s
another busy week
with plenty of new
releases arriving on
Blu-ray and DVD. Once again,
they include blockbusters and
Oscar nominees. So if you can’t
make it out to the movies this
week, be sure to give one of
these titles a try!

BIG NEW
RELEASES!
T
h
e
Breadwinner
- A f t er her
father is taken
away and put
in prison by
members of
the Taliban,
a young girl
is forced to
find a way to
prov ide for
her mother and siblings. She
does so disguising herself as
a boy and trying to make ends
meet without being discovered
for who she really is. This animated tale was nominated for
an Oscar and earned impressive marks from almost all critics. The overwhelming majority
complimented the gorgeous
imagery on display and found
the themes both stirring and
compelling. Saara Chaudry,
Soma Chhaya and Noorin
Gulamgaus provide the voices.
The Clapper - This romantic
comedy follows a pair of individuals who earn their living
as infomercial audience members. The host of a spot takes
a personal interest in one of
the men and decides to use

DINÉ COLLEGE
| FROM PAGE 16
from how to get VA loans,
homeless and mental health
concer ns a nd hea lth ca re
questions.
“It went well,” Curtis said.
“There was some wr itten
information handed out on a
variety of topics and the reps
were able to answer all kinds
of questions.”
C u r t i s not e d t h a t on
ha nd at the Tsa ile event
were Rober tson Yazzie of
Farmington and Shawndin
Tracy of Prescott, Ariz. Yazzie

18

public media to find out who
he is. Her actions, however,
put a great strain on the man’s
current relationship. Reviews
weren’t very complimentary
towards this independent film.
A few found the cast charming
enough to earn it a pass, but
most felt the humor fell flat and
that the story simply wasn’t
interesting enough. It stars
Ed Helms, Amanda Seyfried,
Tracy Morgan, Adam Levine
and Russell Peters.
The Man Who Invented
Christmas - Charles Dickens
is the subject of this holiday-themed biopic which adds
fantasy elements to a true
story. It goes into the mind of
the financially-strapped writer
as he begins and tries to land
a publisher for A Christmas
Carol (which would eventually become one of his best
known works). In doing so,
he ends up interacting with a
version of Ebenezer Scrooge
existing in his head. Notices
were quite positive. A few criticized it as being decent but
unmemorable, but many more
complimented the movie, calling it amusing, likable and
well-performed. It features Dan
Stevens, Christopher Plummer,
Jonathan Pryce and Miriam
Margoyles.
Novitiate - The story of
this drama set in the late
1950s and early 60s follows a
young woman fascinated by the
Catholic church. As she trains
to become a nun, she deals
with many extreme ideas from
persons in power. The protagonist begins to experience
conflicting feelings about her
calling and what the future
will hold for her. Reviews were
very good for this independent

drama. A few thought it was
too long for its own good, but
the consensus was that it featured strong performances and
asked interesting questions
about faith, without providing
direct answers or sermonizing.
The cast includes Margaret
Qua lley, Melissa Leo a nd
Julianne Nicholson.
T h o r :
R a g n ar ok The biggest
release of the
week is this
Marvel superhero sequel.
The third
Thor f lick
finds the Norse god imprisoned
in a faraway world while an evil
force threatens to bring a world
ending cataclysm Ragnarok to
Asgard. While finding his way
home, the protagonist teams
with some eccentric space
creatures and a familiar face or
two. The press was extremely
taken by this entry, calling it
the best of the series starring
the character. They appreciated the elaborately staged
action and stated that addition of quirky humor made the
experience all the more enjoyable. The cast includes Chris
Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston,
Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett,
Anthony Hopkins, Benedict
Cumberbatch, Idris Elba, Tessa
Thompson, Karl Urban, Taika
Waititi and Jeff Goldblum.
Wonder Wheel - The latest
from Woody Allen is a drama
set in the 1950s at a Coney
Island amusement park. When
the carousel operator’s troubled daughter arrives from out
of the blue, his wife is longs
for her days as a young woman
and actress. Feeling jealous of

Lots of interesting classic
titles arriving in high definition this week. Arrow Video is
releasing a two-disc (Blu-ray
and DVD) limited edition of The
Cat O’Nine Tails (1971). This is
the second film of Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento
and involves the investigation
of a string of murders at a scientific institute. The release
includes a new 4K restoration
of the film from the original
camera negative, a film critic
audio commentary, new interviews with Argento, co-writer
Dardano Sacchetti, actress
Cinzia De Carolis and production manager Angelo Iacono.
It also comes with the script
pages for the original ending,
the Italian and international
theatrical trailers and other
bonuses.
Arrow also has a Blu-ray
of Donnie Darko (2001). This
was released as a 4-disc limited edition (with multiple
versions of the film) some
time ago but sold out. Now,
the 4K restoration is being
made available again as a
single disc that features the

is a U.S. Army veteran and
Tracy is an outreach coordinator in Prescott, Ariz.,
who works specifically with
veterans.
Diné College also hosted
a vetera ns event on their
Shiprock campus Feb. 28.
There, Diné College disability and veterans coordinator Rosa lind Russell sa id
upwards of a dozen people
engaged in conversion with
the veteran reps.
“There were a little more
than a dozen people who came
out,” Russell, the parent of a
U.S. Navy enlistee, said. “It
was a very informative event.”

Ru s sel l sa id t here a re
about 18 student and staff
vets who take classes or work
at the Diné College Shiprock
site. She said Commander
Lloyd Begay informed about
Sh iprock chapter meetings and Everett Howe of E
Security of Shiprock was on
hand to talk about the firm
a nd screen potentia l new
hires.
Ester Paul, a recruiter at
Diné College who works out
of the Shiprock site, said she
gave an introduction about
the College and handed out
complimentary pins and coin
purses. Paul sa id the age

range of people at the event
was between 18 and 65.
Diné College was founded
a s t he V iet n a m Wa r wa s
being fought in 1968. One of
the reasons why the College
wa s creat ed wa s t o help
Navaho veterans who were
returning home who wanted
to at tend col lege w it hout
having to leave the Navajo
Reservation.
A n orga n ization ca lled
t he Di né Col lege St udent
Ve t e r a n s A s s o c i a t i o n i s
starting back up after seve r a l ye a r s of i n a c t i v it y.
The orga nization is worki n g t owa rd be com i n g a n

Friday March 9, 2018 • Gallup Sun

her step-daughter, she decides
to drastic action in order to
improve her own situation.
Critics weren’t as taken with
this picture as with previous
entries from the writer/director. They complimented the
photography and some of the
performances, but felt others
were miscast and that the film
had some strange shifts in tone.
It features Jim Belushi, Kate
Winslett, Justin Timberlake
and Kate Winslett.

BLASTS FROM THE
PAST!

theatrical cut, multiple audio
commentar ies, bra nd new
interviews, a short film from
the director and 20 deleted
scenes with optional director
commentary.
Jim Henson enthusiasts
will be happy to learn that
Sony has given the puppet fantasy flick The Dark Crystal
(1982) a new release. It’s been
a new 4K restoration from
the original camera negative.
There’s also a new documentar y that goes behind-thescenes during production. The
disc also includes previously
releases features including a
commentary, deleted scenes,
featurettes and of making-of
documentaries.
Finally, Code Red has a
double feature B-movie Bluray that includes the Italian
horror/thriller, House on the
Edge of the Park (1980), along
with Last House on Massacre
Street (1973).

ON THE TUBE!
And these are the TV highlights arriving this week.
Blue Planet II
Campfire Kiss (Lifetime
TV-movie)
Crossbow: The Complete
Series
Newton’s Law: Season 1
officially recognized chapter
for the Student Veterans of
America.
“We’re making progress,”
Jeremiah Holiday, a transfer and career specialist at
the College and a U.S. Army
veteran, said. “We prov ide
ser v ices to ex tend to ou r
veterans to help them succeed academically. We also
ex t end t ho se ser v ice s t o
t he fa m i l ies a nd peer s of
veterans.”
Holiday estimated that
there are some 50-plus veterans at Diné College. He said
the number fluctuates, based
on enrollment.
COMMUNITY

SPORTS 360
McKinley County teams move through state tournament
GALLUP GIRLS MAKING PROGRESS

By Bernie Dotson
For the Sun

S

ANTA ANA PUEBLO,
N.M. — Tohatchi beat
Tula rosa 78 - 43 a nd
advanced to once again
play in the New Mexico 3A state
girls championship basketball
game. The game is March 9 at
1:30 pm at the Santa Ana Star
Center in Rio Rancho.
To get to the championship
game, Tohatchi (24-6, 8-0)
eliminated Loving 69-51, Dulce
67-45 and Tularosa. The Lady
Cougars are led by all-state
point guard Kalian Mitchell,
who is averaging double figures
for the state tournament.

“We still have another game
to play,” Tohatchi head coach
Tanisha Bitsoi said. “The girls
have played hard and have
played together in the tournament. I was very happy with the
way our defense has played the
last few games.”
The Lady Cougars held the
Lady Wildcats to 20-second
half points. The score in the
Tularosa game was 45-23 at
halftime.

15 Loving 69-52 in a girls first
round state playoff game at
Tohatchi High School.
In the subsequent quarterfinals playoff game against
Dulce at the Sana Ana Star
Center, the Lady Cougars sent
the No. 7 Lady Hawks packing
by the score of 67-45. Mitchell
hit 22 points in that game and
the win earned the reigning
state 3A champs the right to
play Tularosa (20-7).
Dulce beat Cuba 74 - 69
March 2 to go into the second
round of play. As the reigning 3A state champions, the
Totatchi team has made the
post-season in each of the past
five years.

Mitchell hit a game high
22 points in the Dulce game,
which about equals what she’s
putting up in post-season play
recently. The Lady Cougars
canned nine 3-pointers in the
first half, with Mitchell getting
two of them.
In the Loving game, junior
guard Chastidy Onsurez helped
carry the scoring load for the
Lady Falcons and chipped in
12 hard-earned points in the
game. Onsurez was mostly
guarded by Cecil and junior
forward Genae Morris of the
Lady Cougars.

GALLUP HIGH 5A

The No. 3 Gallup Lady
Bengals are also making headway through the 5A state playoffs. Gallup beat local rival
Miyamura 61-52 in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
The Lady Patriots were seeded
No. 11.
Miya mura led 26 -22 at
halftime and still led 42-39 at
the end of the third quarter.
Sophomore guard Kamryn
Yazzie hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Lady Bengals a
lift late in the fourth quarter.
After the shots, Gallup was
able to maintain the lead until

TOURNAMENT
| SEE PAGE 20

Tse Yi’ Gai Lady Warrior Tianalee Jim (14) goes for a shot against Fort Sumner/House Vixen Keeli West (11) at
Bernalillo High School during the NMAA State Basketball Tournament March 6. The Lady Warriors came up short,
59-48. Photo Credit: Ryan Hudgeons

Vice President of the Navajo Nation Jonathan Nez shows his support to Tohatchi Cougars at the NMAA Girls State
Basketball Tournament at the Santa Ana Star Center March 6. Tohatchi defeated Dulce, 67-45, to move on in the
tournament to the Class 3A Championship final March 9. Photo Credit: Ryan Hudgeons

TOURNAMENT
| SEE PAGE 19
the end of the game.
Senior guard Amanda Mitchel
scored 14 points and four assists
for Gallup (20-10) in the game. Tia

Washburn of Miyamura (14-16)
ended with 11 points.

GALLUP/
BLOOMFIELD
Gallup Lady Bengals took

the court March 8, but were
bested by Bloomfield by a score
of 59-56.
Bloomfield goes on to play
against Los Lunas for the
Class 5A Girls championship
March 9.

TRUJILLO
| SEE PAGE 20
Trujillo, who says he loves
being a teacher, offered advice
to others thinking about joining the field: “One of the biggest things I feel is don’t do it
for yourself but do it for others.
Your goal should be that you
want to be the best teacher
that out there. Stick to that and
you can help so many people
become more than they have
dreamed of.”
Trujillo continued to say
that the success of a student
takes more than just good

PARK
| SEE PAGE 12

Miyamura Lady Patriot Odessa Begay (55) goes up for a shot at Dream Style Arena (aka The Pit) March 6. Gallup Lady Bengal Amanda
Mitchell (3) attempts to block during the NMAA State Basketball Tournament in Albuquerque. Gallup Lady Bengals won the game to
advance in the tournament. Photo Credit: Ryan Hudgeons

recreation, fish and wildlife, livestock watering, agriculture, and
irrigation.
Johnson discussed a variety
of expansions pertaining to pollution that generates on the Navajo
Nation. This includes pollution
from unmanaged grazing, off
road travel, construction activity,
irrigated agriculture, and illegal
trash dumping.
“Once you make the tracks
other people will follow,” Johnson
said. “Pretty soon wind and water
will erode the soil, create big gullies, and disrupt the land’s water
flow.”
He also said that if water is
diverted due to unnecessary
dirt roads, it will give less water
to plants and will cause grazing
issues that will then lead to other
problems, like unmanaged grazing, pollution and lowering the
water table.

VOLUNTEERS

It was the Gallup show down, as Gallup Lady Bengal Ashley Antone (1) goes up for a shot as the Miyamura Lady Patriots try to block her
during the NMAA Girls State Basketball Tournament at Dream Style Arena (aka The Pit) March 6 in Albuquerque. Gallup won the game,
61-52. Photo Credit: Ryan Hudgeons

White Cliffs Water Fact of the Week
White Cliffs Water Users want you to know you can save lots of water by
flushing the toilet at home less. Nearly 40% of our water gets flushed down
the toilet. Leaking toilet flappers can easily triple your household water use.

Grand Prize Winner Best Tasting
Water in New Mexico
New Mexico Rural Water Association
20 Friday March 9, 2018 • Gallup Sun

Coordinators, volunteers, and
escorts offered assistance to the
presenters and the young students
throughout the event.
About 70-plus high school
students from Gallup High
School and Miyamura High
School volunteered assist Buffie
Klumpenhower, a teacher at
Miyamura High School.

PROFESSIONAL
RESOURCES
Professional resource organization presenters instructed a
wide-range of educational classes,
which focused on pollution, water
conservation, and understanding
the importance of water.
Each professional resource
organization was funded by their
own staff to present at the event.
These organizations included:

teachers. Parental involvement
is also crucial for a a child to
succeed.
“Once the pa rent is
involved this makes our job
a lot easier, because once
the student realizes that they
can’t mess around it really
cha nges the atmosphere,”
Tr u jillo sa id. “So, pa rent
involvement is huge. I noticed
that sometimes the teacher is
always the one to be blamed
for the academic failure of
the student, but if we can
just get the parents involved
again, this would make a huge
difference.”

The City of Gallup
The National Oceanographic&
Atmospheric Administration
Sandia National Laboratories
The Bureau of Reclamation
from Farmington & Phoenix, Ariz.
COPE-Community Outreach
Patient Empowerment
Carollo Engineers
Cibola National Forest ­– Mount
Taylor District
The City of Gallup Water
The New Mexico Environment
Department Surface Water
Quality Bureau

T-SHIRT DESIGN
CONTEST
The event also included a
design contest.
An online application was sent
to all GMCS art teachers and their
classes to participate.
Prizes were awarded to the
winning designs.

THANKS &
ADMIRATION
The event and its organizers
thanked the sponsorship of the
following organizations: New
Mexico Water Conservation
Alliance, which gathered sponsorship support from the McCune
Foundation, Utah Associated
Municipal Power Systems, City
of Gallup, Papa John’s, Subway,
Sonic, S&B DES., and Lowe’s Shop
N’ Save.
The event organizers also
appreciated the efforts of the artists who created and submitted
their T-shirt designs, along with
the local high school student volunteers from Gallup, Miyamura,
and Rehoboth Christian School.
For more information,
contact the City of Gallup,
110 West Aztec Avenue. Call:
(505) 863-1220.
Or visit: https://www.gallupnm.gov/421/Water-andEnergy-Awareness-Day
SPORTS

FOR FREE!
EMAIL: gallupsun@gmail.com
CALL: 505-722-8994
MOBILE HOMES
MOBILE HOME SPACES
Mobile Home Spaces – Single wide – any size $215/mo.
Double Wide $265/mo. Call
Mike 505-870-3430 or Carmelita 505-870-4095.
SERVICES
FloDrone.com provides aerial
photography & videography
for weddings, parties, etc.
Also, we can do roof inspections & find lost livestock
quickly. 727-776-2266 or 505722-2217.
LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the McKinley
County Board of Commissioners will hold a regular meeting
on Tuesday March 13, 2018 at
9:00 a.m.
This meeting will be held in
the Commissioner Chambers,
Third Floor of the McKinley County Courthouse, 207
West Hill, Gallup, New Mexico. A copy of the agenda will
be available 72 hours prior to
the meeting in the Manager’s
Office and the County Clerk’s
Office.
Auxiliary aides for the disabled are available upon request; please contact Michelle
Esquibel at (505) 722-3868 at
least 48 hours in advance of
the meeting to make any necessary arrangements.

ON-CALL COPYEDITOR
The Gallup Sun is looking for
a relief pitcher of sorts. Someone who can fill in when we
need help on production days
Tue. - Thurs. Job entails editing, in addition to formatting
stories and writing briefs.
Must have newspaper experience and AP Stylebook savvy.
Hours will vary. Email resume
to: gallupsun@gmail.com

All interested parties are invited to attend.
Done this 5th day of March,
2018
McKINLEY COUNTY BOARD
OF COMMISSIONERS
/S/ Genevieve Jackson, Chairperson
Publication date: Gallup Sun
March 9, 2018

LEGAL NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that at 6:00 P.M. on
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 in the
Council Chambers of Gallup
City Hall, 110 West Aztec Avenue, Gallup, New Mexico, the
Governing Body of the City of
Gallup will hold a Public Hearing on the proposed issuance
of a new Wholesaler License
to Premier Distributing Company d/b/a Premier Distributing Company-Gallup, 3535
Sanostee Drive, Gallup, New
Mexico.
The Director of the Alcohol
and Gaming Division has

CLASSIFIEDS
granted preliminary approval
for this Application.
CITY OF GALLUP, NEW MEXICO
By: /s/ Alfred Abeita II, City
Clerk
PUBLISH:
Friday, March 9, 2018
Friday, April 6, 2018
***
ADVERTISEMENT
FOR BIDS
CITY OF GALLUP, NEW MEXICO
FORMAL BID NO. 1809
Public notice is hereby given
that the City of Gallup, New
Mexico, desires to purchase
the following:
WATER TANK FOR FOX RUN
GOLF COURSE
As more particularly set out in
the bid documents, copies of
which may be obtained from
the City of Gallup Purchasing
Department, 110 W. Aztec Ave.,
Gallup, New Mexico 87301; or
contact Frances Rodriguez,
Purchasing Director at (505)
863-1334; email frodriguez@
gallupnm.gov Copies of bid
may be accessed on the City of
Gallup website at http://www.
gallupnm.gov/bids
Sealed bids for such will be
received at the City of Gallup
Purchasing Department until
2:00 P.M. (LOCAL TIME) on
March 20, 2018 when they
will be opened and read aloud
in the City Hall Purchasing
Conference Room. Envelopes
are to be sealed and plainly
marked Formal Bid Number
1809. NO FAXED OR ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMITTED
BIDS nor bids submitted after
the specified date and time
will be considered and will be
returned unopened.
Dated the 7th day of March
2018
By: /S/ Jackie McKinney, Mayor
CLASSIFIED LEGAL COLUMN:
Gallup Sun Publishing Date:
Friday, March 9, 2018
***
ADVERTISEMENT FOR

BIDS

DEFENDANT: MICHAEL SILVA and ANNA OLVERA

CITY OF GALLUP, NEW MEXICO
FORMAL BID NO. 1806

NOTICE OF SALE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
THAT ON THE 28th DAY OF
MARCH, 2018, AT THE HOUR
OF 10:00 AM, THE SHERIFF
WILL SELL ALL RIGHTS, TITLE, AND INTEREST OF THE
FOLLOWING
DESCRIBED
CHATTEL:

Public notice is hereby given
that the City of Gallup, New
Mexico, will receive bids for
the construction of:
HASLER VALLEY ROAD SOLID WASTE FACILITY
As more particularly set out
in the Bid documents, whereas plans, specifications, and
bidding documents may be
examined at the office of the
Purchasing Director, City of
Gallup, 110 West Aztec; Gallup, NM 87301, phone 505-8631334. Additional information
regarding this bid may also
be viewed at gallupnm.gov/
bids.
Plans, specifications
and bidding documents may
be obtained from: Albuquerque Reprographics, 4716
Mcleod NE, Albuquerque,
NM 87109; info@abqrepro.
com; Phone 505-884-0862;
Fax: 505-883-6452. THERE
IS A $150 REFUNDABLE
DEPOSIT FOR THE PLANS.
COMPLETE SETS OF PLANS
MUST BE RETURNED WITH
TEN (10) DAYS OF BID
AWARD AND BE IN GOOD
CONDITION.
Sealed bids for such will be received at the Office of the Purchasing Department until 2:00
P.M. (LOCAL TIME) on April
3, 2018 when bids will be
opened and read aloud in the
City Hall Purchasing Conference Room. Envelopes are to
be sealed and plainly marked
with the Formal Bid Number.
NO FAXED OR ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMITTED BIDS
will be accepted, and proposals submitted after the specified date and time will not
be considered and will be returned unopened.

Dated this 28th day of February 2018
By: /S/ Jackie McKinney, Mayor
Classified Legal Column:
Gallup Sun Publishing Date:
Friday March 2, 2018 AND Friday March 9, 2018
***
STATE OF NEW MEXICO
MCKINLEY COUNTY
IN THE DISTRICT COURT
PLAINTIFF: ROBERT GARCIA and BEATRICE GARCIA
NO. D-1113-CV-2016-156-II
VS

ALL BID ITEMS MAY BE INSPECTED AT BID LOCATION
(1) HOUR PRIOR TO SALE.
BID FORMS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF SALE
WHICH WILL BE HELD AT
THE MCKINLEY COUNTY
SHERIFF’S OFFICE, 300 W.
NIZHONI GALLUP, NEW
MEXICO.
SAID SALE IS MADE PURSUANT TO A WRIT OF EXECUTION IN THE ABOVE
- DESCRIBED MATTER TO
SATISFY A JUDGEMENT ENTERED ON THE 11th DAY OF
AUGUST, 2017.
AGAINST THE DEFENDANT,
IN THE PRINCIPAL SUM
OF $140,700.00 TOGETHER
WITH THE COST ALLOWED,
INCLUDING ACCRUED INTEREST TO DATE OF SALE,
AND COST.
CONDITIONS OF SALE WILL
BE CASH OR CASHIERS
CHECK WITHIN (1) HOUR
OF SALE. IF THIS CONDITION IS NOT MET THE NEXT
HIGHEST BIDDER WILL BE
AWARDED AS THE WINNING
BIDDER. MINIMUM BIDS
MAY BE REQUIRED.
IN ADDITION, THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDER SHALL
BE REQUIRED TO PAY ALL
ADVERTISING COSTS, TOWING, AND STORAGE INCURRED BY THE SHERIFF
OF MCKINLEY COUNTY.
THESE CHARGES SHALL BE
DISCLOSED UPON INQUIRY
BY AN PROSPECTIVE BIDDER IMMEDIATELY PRIOR
TO SALE.
THE SHERIFF MAY SET
ASIDE A SALE FOR FRAUD,
UNFAIRNESS OR IRREGULARITIES OF A PREJUDI-

Empower Educational Consultants Laura Moore, left, and Jennifer French Crone, right, visit with students on Family Math Night March 1 to
see the impact of math and games combined. Photo Credit: Knifewing Segura

Lisa Mike

so many parents showed up to
support the students, echoed
Crone’s position on the family’s role in a child’s education
– particularly in tough subjects
like mathematics.
“Bringing [the parents] here
was just an awesome thing,
because it tells the child that
school is important,” Moore
said. “I think any time we can
get parents involved and understanding math and what their
child is learning, it’s a plus-plus
for the parents, kids, and the
entire school. “
Beyond their work with students and parents, Moore and
Crone also coaches teachers.
The consultants offer instruction help in English Language
Arts, supplying teachers with
adv ice a nd techniques to
become better resources for
their students.

***
Pursuant of the New Mexico
Self
Storage Lien Act, the following
Items will be sold or disposed
of
in order to satisfy a lien for
delinquent rent and/or related
charges. Property is located at:
Sunrise Self Storage
2610 E. Hwy. 66 &
3000 W. Hwy 66
Gallup, NM 87301.
Sale will take place TBD
Please call 505-722-7989
for more information.

Please call office to verify info.
Sale May Be Cancelled By
Right of Lien Holder.

OPPORTUNITIES
FOR SUCCESS

Debbie Arthur, the principal of Rocky View Elementary
School, was pleased with the
event and its turnout.
“It was a great success,”
A r thu r sa id. “Math is so
important, it’s a skill that all
kids need for great opportunities for a good job when they
get out of school. We just want
to give every kid that opportunity, with the participation of
the parents and the kids, it was
a great success.”
Like Arthur, Brooke, who
teaches first and second grade
math at Rocky View Elementary
School, was excited about the
math skills her students were
already learning and showing
their parents.
“We had such a lovely turnout and I am so proud of our
kids,” Brooke said after the
event. “They are teaching their
grownups so many great math
games. We’ve been focusing on
math fluency and it’s so nice

MAIL DELIVERY
1 year subscription. Send
check for $59.95 to:

Gallup Sun Publishing PO
Box 1212 Gallup, NM 87305

LEGAL NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

Place an tribute in the Gallup Sun
It will last the whole week and forever on
GallupSun.com
Easy form to fill out. Short form FREE!
Artistic, customized tributes available.
Phone: (505) 722-8994

Email: gallupsun@gmail.com

*Prepayment Required. Cash. M.O. Credit Card.

22 Friday March 9, 2018 • Gallup Sun

that The Gallup Housing Authority will conduct its
monthly Board of Commissioners meeting to be held on
Friday, March 16, 2018, at 1:00 PM MST, at the Gallup
Housing Authority board room, 203 Debra drive, Gallup,
New Mexico 87301. The agenda will be available to the
public at the Gallup Housing Authority office.
All interested parties are invited to attend.
Gallup Housing Authority
Gallup, McKinley County, New Mexico
By:/S/ Alfred Abeita, Chairman of the Board

for our kids to show that off.
The math games are simple
addition, subtraction games
that can be done with a deck
of cards or dice, even simple
household items.”
Parents also spoke optimistically of the students’ performance on Family Math Night.
Briana Yazzie, whose son
Kayden Yazzie is in the second
grade at Rocky View, came to
see what additional methods
she could utilize to help her
son.
“I came because I know my
son was having improvement
in his math skills and the more
I’m interested in it, the better he
learns,” Yazzie said. “I wanted to
support him tonight and come
for the Family Math Night.”
Students as well showed
pride over their achivements.
Kayden Yazzie spoke excitedly
about taking the games home
and bettering his math.
“I’m good at math and I’m
kind of having problems in subtraction, but with the games
they gave us I can’t wait to
play them over the weekend,”
Kayden Yazzie said.
Family Math Night left parents with some suggestions
on how to be more engaged in
their children’s school life. To
start, instructors said to partner with your child’s teacher.
Parents were reminded to reach
out to teachers, as parents are
an important part of a child’s
education. Other suggestions
included asking to see a sample of your child’s work, or to
bring a sample with you, and to
always ask questions.
F o r m o r e i n fo r m a tion on helping your child
learn mathematics, visit:
www.2ed.gov/parents/academic/help/math/index.html.
CLASSIFIEDS

COMMUNITY CALENDAR MARCH 9-15, 2018
FRIDAY, March 9
TEEN TECH
WEEK
10 am-6 pm
@ Children’s
Branch.
Stop by
the Library
every day
during Teen Tech week March
6-10 for a creative tech project.
MAKER ZONE (ALL AGES)
2-3 pm @Children’s Branch.
We provide supplies, you
provide ideas.
COMPUTER CLASS
3-5 pm @ Main Branch. Free
computer training is available each week. Class size
is limited to 10 participants
per session. No registration
required. This week: MS Word
for Beginners.
TECH TIME: ONE-2-ONE TECHNOLOGY
HELP
3-4 pm @ Main Branch. The
Library is offering one-on-one
technology assistance. Bring
your personal technology devices or software questions to
one of the scheduled sessions
and our technology trainer
will help guide you through
the process. One-2-One
Tech Help is on a first come
first serve basis. Call (505)
863-1291 or email libtrain@
gallupnm.gov.
GET UP AND GAME
4-5 pm @ Children’s Branch.
Join us for a family-friendly
video games Friday afternoon.

Award winning film:
Suffragette.
Refreshments will
be served.
Call (505)
863-1291
or email
tmoe@gallupnm.gov.
DORDT COLLEGE CHOIR CONCERT
The acclaimed Dordt College
Choir from Iowa will perform
a concert at 7:30 pm. Rehoboth Christian Reformed
Church.
MOUNTAINFILM ON TOUR
The Thai Burma Border
Health Initiative presents:
Mountainfilm on Tour. March
9: Student film events at
Gallup High School and Del
Norte Elementary. March 10:
Main event film screenings at
4:30 and 8:30 pm; Non-profit
expo 6:30-8:30 pm. Tickets go
on sale the day of the event at
the El Morro Theatre. Tickets:
$8 per adult and $5 per child
or student. Call (971) 5700704.

slice for $3, or a pie for the
family $15. Call (505) 7222175.
STORY TIME (AGES 2-4)
10:30-11 am @ Children’s
Branch. An active and energetic program for toddlers,
featuring music, movement,
rhymes, and stories.
TECH TIME
3-4 pm@MainBranch. The
Library is offering help using
our open source software.
This week: LibreOffice. Call
(505) 863-1291 or email libtrain@gallupnm.gov.
WEDNESDAY
NIGHT MOVIES
5:30-7 pm
@ Main
Branch.
Every
Wednesday
at 5:30 pm
watch different “Air” themed
film at the Main Branch of the
Library. During the month of
March, we explore the basic
element of air in cooking and
culture.

MONDAY, March 12

IGNITE GALLUP 2018
Be heard. Sign up now and
tell us what you are passionate about at the first Ignite
Gallup. Talks are limited to
five minutes and 20 slides.
Topic proposals are due
March 15th. For more information or to submit a topic
visit octaviafellin.libguides.
com/ignitegallup or call (505)
726-6120.
TECH TIME: ONE-2-ONE TECHNOLOGY
HELP
3-4 @ Main Branch. The
Library is offering one-on-one
technology assistance.
Bring your personal technology devices or software questions to one of the scheduled
sessions and our technology
trainer will help guide you
through the process. One-2One Tech Help is on a first
come first serve basis. Call
(505) 863-1291 or email libtrain@gallupnm.gov.
CRAFTY KIDS (ALL AGES)
4-5 pm @ Children’s Branch.
Fun crafts for the whole family. This week’s activity: St.
Patrick Necklace.

TECH TIME
5-6 pm @ Main Branch. The
Library will provide job assistance workshops for those
seeking employment. Call
(505) 863-1291.
REHOBOTH HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR
Rehoboth Christian School
Choir and Gospel Artist CJ
Grier invite you to an hour of
worship. Call (505) 863-4412.

SATURDAY, March 10

TUESDAY, March 13

ART CONTEST
9 am-6 pm @ Children’s
Branch. Stop by Library to
pick up an entry form for the
2018 Library Card Art Contest. The winner will have
their artwork featured on
special edition library cards
for the 2018 Summer Reading
Program: Libraries Rock!
Deadline to submit artwork is
March 10.
TEEN TECH WEEK
9 am-6 pm @ Children’s
Branch. Stop by the Library
every day during Teen Tech
week for a creative tech
project.
RELAY FOR LIFE
FUNDRAISER
Join the
Gallup High
School
Team Bengals Relay
For Life
team at the Northside Denny’s Restaurant 3-6 pm. Raise
money for the American Cancer Society. The students will
earn 10 percent of register
receipts and all tips during
those times. Location: 836
U.S. Highway 491.
FILM
3-5 pm @ Main Branch. The
Library will host Academy

MAKER ZONE (6 AND OLDER)
2-3 pm @ Children’s Branch.
We provide supplies, you
supply the ideas.
COMPUTER CLASS
Free computer training is
available each week. Class
size is limited to 10 participants per session. No registration required. This week:
Intro to the Internet.
MAKER ZONE (6 AND OLDER)
4-5 pm @ Children’s Branch.
We provide supplies, you
supply the ideas.
ASSIMILATION AND MUTILATION
6-7 pm @ Main Branch. The
Library will host Jean Whitehorse as she details the life
of a boarding school student,
and how forced sterilization came about. Call (505)
863-1291 or email tmoe@
gallupnm.gov.

CALENDAR

CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, March 14
A PI/PIE DAY FUND RAISER
Let’s be irrational! There will
be a Pi/Pie Day Fund Raiser
for cancer research. Eat pie
for breakfast, lunch, coffee
break, or a midnight snack.
Time: 10 am-2 pm (or until
sold out). Location: Camille’s
Sidewalk Café Patio Room,
306 S. 2nd Street. Purchase a

THURSDAY, March 15

ONGOING
CITY OF GALLUP’S SUSTAINABLE
GALLUP BOARD
Meets on the first Monday
from 3-5 pm at the Octavia
Fellin Library. When those
Mondays are holidays, the
meetings ar on the following Monday. Community
members concerned about
conservation, energy, water,
recycling and other environmental issues are welcome.
Call (505) 722-0039 for information.
CO-DEPENDENTS ANONYMOUS
Meets Wednesday, 6-7 pm,
at First United Methodist
Church, 1800 Redrock Dr. (in

the library). All are welcome.
COMMUNITY PANTRY
The Hope Garden offers
organic produce for sale from
10 am-noon, Tue - Fri., 1130
E. Hassler Valley Road. All
funds go to helping feed local
folks. Call (505) 726-8068 or
when visiting, ask for Vernon
Garcia.
FRIDAY NIGHT HOOTENANNY
Gallup’s longest-running live
show! Every Friday night
from 7-9 pm. Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe, 306 S. Second St.
GALLUP-MCKINLEY COUNTY HUMANE
SOCIETY
Wednesdays are low-cost
Spay and Neuter Days, at
the Gallup-McKinley County
Humane Society. For more
information, please call (505)
863-2616, or email: gmchumanesociety@gmail.com.
Location: 1315 Hamilton Rd.
GALLUP SOLAR
Gallup Solar is hosting community conversations about
all things solar Wednesdays
from 6-8 pm at 113 E. Logan.
Call: (505) 728-9246 for info
on topics and directions.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Habitat for
Humanity yard
sales are
held every
Saturday,
9 am-noon
on Warehouse Lane,
weather permitting. Volunteers wishing to
serve on construction projects may sign up there or call
(505) 722-4226.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - WORK
SESSIONS
Habitat for Humanity work
sessions held each week.
Volunteers to serve on decision making meetings or wish
to volunteer at or help fund
construction projects. Call
Bill Bright at (505) 722-4226.
MCKINLEY COUNTY HEALTH ALLIANCE
McKinley County Health
Alliance convenes on the second Wednesday of the month
from 11 am-1 pm at the New
Mexico Cancer Center across
from UNM-Gallup. Everyone
is welcome to attend and
engage in discussions about
health, education, economic,
and environmental inequities
and to help facilitate change
in those systems. Call (505)
906-2671.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
Overeaters Anonymous 12step meetings. Held every
Saturday at 10 am. The First
Methodist Church, 1800 Red
Rock Drive. Open to anybody
who has a desire to stop compulsive eating. Contact info.
(505) 307-5999, (505) 7219208, or (505) 870-1483.
RECYCLING COUNCIL
McKinley Citizens Recycling
Council is a local nonprofit

working to increase recycling
through education, community outreach, and partnership with local government
agencies. MCRC meets the
first Saturday of the month at
2 pm, at Red Mesa on Hill St.
For more information, please
call (505) 722-5142 or visit
Recylegallup.org.
RECYCLING DEPOT
The Recycling Depot will
now be open from 12-1:30 pm
on the first Saturdays of the
month. Educators and artists
are encouraged to come by
and see what’s available.
Volunteers will accept some
items, such as paper towels
and toilet paper rolls. This is
a free service of the McKinley
Citizen’s Recycling Council.
Call (505) 722-5152.
SUPPORT EARLY LANGUAGE AND
LITERACY FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS!
Gallup McKinley County
Schools is currently recruiting
pregnant women and teens
in McKinley County with
children from birth to 5 years
of age. There are no income
guidelines and services
are free to ALL community
members. Learn more about
this opportunity by contacting Bebe Sarmiento at (505)
721-1055.
SAVE THE DATE
GALLUPARTS ANNOUNCES
ARTSCRAWL LINEUP
gallupARTS is excited to
announce the next season of
ArtsCrawl, which kicks off
on Saturday, March 10 from
7-9 pm with the theme “Time
Travel.” The entire 2018 lineup is outlined below:
March 10 – Time Travel;
April 14 – Say What?!; May
12 – Pop; June 9 – Out of
Hand
July 14 – Up in the Air; August 11 – Road Trip; September 8 – On the Wild Side;
October 13 – Sixth Sense;
November 10 – In Black &
White; and December 8 –
Let’s Have a Ball.
DEADLINE FOR ARTISTS
On March 16, deadline for artists to apply for gallupARTS
paid Native Artist-in-Residence program.
TWO-DAY OPEN STUDIO ARTWALK
EVENT
On March 17, Zuni Pueblo
Artists announce a two-day
Open Studio ArtWalk Event.
10 am-5 pm on Saturday and
Sunday. For more information
visit: zunipuebloart.org.
To post a nonprofit or
civic event in the calendar
section, please email:
gallupsunevents@gmail.com or
fax: (505) 212-0391. Deadline:
Monday at 5 pm